Factors Affecting Biological Diversity Answers

Your teacher describes a population of fish that live in a coral reef. Some fish are dark orange (the same color as the coral). Some fish are nearly white. Most of the fish exhibit a color between dark orange and nearly white. Human activity has led to the bleaching of the coral reefs, making them very pale in color. Over time, the population of fish will be affected. Which graph represents the type of selection that you expect to occur?

Two insect groups vary genetically by two genes. When put together, they were able to reproduce and produce offspring that could also breed. Which best describes this insect population?

Which type of selection occurs when a population experiences a shift in diversity toward the larger organisms?

A population of chimpanzees was separated when the forest that they lived in had a section cut down and a town was built. After a long period of time, the chimpanzees came back into contact but were incapable of breeding. Which of the following best describes the process that occurred?

In a bird population, 50 % of the individuals had white feathers, and 50% had colored feathers. Over time, it was observed that 98% of the population had colorful feathers. The rest had white feathers. How did the type of selection in this example affect the population’s biodiversity?

Which of the following is the definition for speciation?

Which graph represents selection that may lead to reduced variation in a population?

A population of pigs lives on an island together with burrowing termites. Pigs that have the longest snouts tend to survive more frequently than those with shorter snouts. Over time, most of the pig population is made up of individuals that have very long snouts. This is an example of which type of selection?

Which is the best definition of directional selection?

A scientist wrote a paper titled “Directional Selection in Action” after observing a population of mice for 15 years. The mice typically preferred to eat berries, although a few would also eat insects. After a drought in year 3, the scientist observed that more mice were eating insects. By year 10, most of the mice in the population ate insects in addition to berries. Which best describes her article?